It all started a couple of months ago, when my sister in law had to rush my older brother Russell to the emergency room. He was having trouble breathing and couldn't stop coughing. They thought he had pneumonia. A myriad of tests and scans later, they determined that he did not have pneumonia, but had had a heart attack. He had two blocked arteries, and his aortic valve wasn't working properly.
The only problem was his heart was so weak it was only working at about 25%. If they tried to operate right then, he probably wouldn't have survived it. They sent him home with an external defibrillator thing that he had to wear 24 hours a day, except for when he took a shower. They called it a life vest. He also had to go to a rehab place to try to get his heart strong enough for surgery. So, I knew he was going to have to have heart surgery. I just didn't know when it would be. I found out late last night that today was going to be the day.
Before I go any further, I would like to sincerely thank all of you who took time to pray for him and his family. And also me. I'm not handling this nearly as well as I thought I would. Part of it is the not knowing. The not being there. Not being able to help...the other part is, he's my big brother. We go way back, me and him.
All through the work day, I kept sneaking off to the front bathroom to check on him and his progress. It was during one such trip that I found out one of my good friends had to put her husband in the hospital for heart issues. I won't go into her private business here, but I'll just say it's pretty serious.
Finally, shortly after 1:00 PM, I got the word. Russell was out of surgery. Everything went smoothly, and the surgeon was pleased with the operation. He is still in ICU, and probably will be for a few days, but things are looking good.
My day was looking up, until I got home and got a message from my dear friend Sue. She'd had a seizure while at dialysis, and was back in the hospital.
It was at this point the flood became whelming, so I'm going to go stand on The Solid Rock for a while.
His oath, his covenant, his blood
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
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